Hi my doctor also wants me to ween off clonazepam, it's been 5 months that I've been on it. It helps me sleep when all other medications have failed. The doctor prescribed Effexor since I had really bad side effects with Lexapro. So far I am on day 7 of Effexor and feel fine. It hasn't helped me sleep all that much like clonazapem. But I will give this medication about 2 mos to see how it helps. Do you notice any hair shedding with clonazepam? Or is it just me and stress? I swear I have been seeing more of my hair all over the place. I feel like my hair is getting so thin and is shedding like crazy. That is why I want to ween off clonazepam. What is the safest way to ween off? Does anyone know?
I'm happy to hear that Zoloft is working for you. I'm going to try to wean off of Clonazepam. You're right---I think my doctor is trying to do what's best for me in the long run.
No, I'm not in therapy, but I am going to try to wean myself off of this drug over the next several weeks. I'll post again with results. Thanks for your response.
If what you're taking is working, I'd be hesitant to change. It's true, though, that klonopin is going to be very hard on you when you quit if you take it for a long time, but so are ssris for many, many people, and they have far more side effects. It's up to you, but it's rare that a medication works as well as you described, and in my mind they're all trouble to quit. Are you in therapy too? Because if you haven't resolved your issues, and I'm not saying therapy will actually accomplish that, then you're going to have to stay on something and they're all hell. Maybe try to reduce the dose to .5 mg and see if that helps as much instead of switching from something that works to something that might not.
Like other benzos, one can develop a tolerance to clonazepam, but it actually has a much longer half life than other benzos like xanax and ativan, so doctors prescribe it more long term. I actually used it for about eight months, but weaned off of it after I got put on an SSRI. I was initially kind of hesitant to do it because I had a bad experience with a different one before I started Zoloft, which ended up working for me. Sometimes it is a little trial and error to find the right one for you. As always, keep talking with your doctor about this...it sounds like he/she is trying to do the right thing...keep us posted!